Japan’s official development assistance (ODA) to Vietnam would be adjusted to meet the recipient country’s requirements which are updated with fields of global concerns, according to the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). 
Konaka Tetsuo, Chief Representative of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)'s Vietnam Office. Photo: Linh Pham
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The funding should be changed to be suitable with the global politics and economy as well as Vietnam’s rapid economic growth, Konaka Tetsuo, Chief Representative of JICA’s Vietnam Office, said at a press conference in Hanoi earlier this week.
Vietnam will assume the ASEAN Chairmanship in 2020 and the position of non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for the 2020-2021 term.
The country, accordingly, needs to promote the pioneer role in global issues namely response to climate change, universal health coverage (UHC), and sustainable development goals (SDGs).
JICA, therefore, will continue with projects which cover pressing issues in both Vietnam and around the globe in line with the Japanese government’s “open and free Indo-Pacific” and “high quality infrastructure”, Mr. Konaka Tetsuo said.
Addition, the government of Vietnam will promote the Socio-Economic Development Strategy (SEDS) for 2021-2030 and Socio-Economic Development Plan (SEDP) by 2025 and that would be among JICA’s priorities, the chief representative said.
To help the government fulfil the plans, JICA signed agreements with Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences (VASS), and a trilateral pact with Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) and the Nghe An People’s Committee for the first six months this year.
JICA will make plans for both central and local governments to help the authorities implement the programs, he added.
In a statement when taking office in Vietnam in March 2018, Konaka Tetsuo said JICA’s efforts to assist Vietnam to tackle three new challenges namely an increasing gap between the rich and the poor, environmental issues, and middle income trap.
For that reason, Japan’s ODA focuses on three priority areas including promoting growth and competitiveness; response to fragility; and good governance.
Accordingly, the chief representative vows to optimize the effectiveness of these three key priority areas through the organic linkage of the following cooperation schemes, such as loans, grant aid and technical cooperation (including volunteer programs).
